Top 10 Best Benchtop Planers in 2019 Reviews | Buyer’s Guide

Planers are tools used in carpentry to minimize the thickness of wood or lumber or give it a smooth finish. However, when there are large or complex projects, one needs a more powerful tool to do this. A Benchtop planner can handle that. It offers all the modern amenities of power tools that make it well suited to impart smooth finish on woods or lumber in large projects. There are many Benchtop planers in the market and choosing the best can be confusing. Below is a comprehensive review of top 10 best Benchtop planers in 2019 for your next project.

10. Ridgid R4330 Planer, 13-Inch Thickness

Ridgid is benchtop planer designed for the style enthusiasts. It comes with a unique style that will grab your eyes. It will be fun operating using this planner that comes fitted with a 120V, 12 amp motor. You will enjoy smooth and continuous planing since the planer comes with an overload protection maximum power.

It comes with a depth adjustment hand wheel that is easy to reach. This ensures you set the planer at your comfort level for maximum efficiency and productivity. You will have to do little or no sanding after you are done planing since the planer’s 3 blade cutterhead performs excellently.

Key Features:

Three-Blade Cutterhead

Large Infeed/Outfeed Table Extensions

Precision Lead-Screw System

On-Board Blade/Tool Storage

Dual-Edge and Quick Change Blades

9. Delta Power Tools 22-590 Portable Planer

If portability isn’t an issue for you, this is a good benchtop planer to buy. You will need to be at least two to move it around. However, it is well-built, reliable, and highly durable planer that can last you for a very long time to come.

You will require little or no sanding since this planer produces a smooth finish from its three blades. It gives one the freedom to select the dimensions of their choice for repeatable cuts. You will not have to worry about snipping problem since its infeed and outfeed table reduces that.

8. Cutech 40200H-CT 13″ Spiral Cutterhead Planer – Professional Model

If you are professional looking for the ideal benchtop planer, this may be your best choice. It is equipped with plenty of features to fit the needs of a pro woodworker. It’s easy to use and its extra-large tables give improved support for smooth planing.

It is lightweight and highly portable making it great for a professional who deals with on-call/ on-site services. When one needs to move, they only need to fold the tables making it compact for easy storage or transporting. Its strong construction makes it serve for long without breaking down.

Key Features:

120V, 15 amp motor

Heavy-duty four-column design Built-in Dual-Sized Dust Port

Extra-large Infeed and Outfeed Tables

Slide Preset Depth Stop

High-speed steel blades

Snipe lock for reduced planer snipes

7. Grizzly G0505 12-1/2-Inch Planer

Grizzly G0505 is an elegantly designed planer that has excellent performance. It’s a great choice for the beginners due to its simplicity. It has a beautiful design and very lightweight making it very portable. It is very stable which ensures smooth and precise planing.

The portability aspect makes it suitable for general home use. Besides, its solid constructions mean you won’t break it by regularly moving it from one place to another. If you are looking for high-quality finish planing, this may not be the best solution for you.

Key Features:

Top Mounted Return Rollers

Knife Setting Jig with Wrench

On/Off Toggle Switch with Safety Lock to avoid accidental starts

Thermal Overload Protection for extended machine life

Motor with 15 AMPS

6. POWERTEC 15-Amp Planer

If you are tight on budget but you are looking for a planer that can fulfill your needs to plane longboards, this is your best bet. This planer is fitted with excellent features and comes at an affordable price. It is highly stable and accurate courtesy.

It is fitted with return rollers which give one an easy time when planing long boards. You won’t worry about hurting yourself when changing blades since there is a safe blade lock. The planer is best suited for light planing since there may be snipping issues when subjected to heavy tasks.

5. Delta Power 22-555 13 In Portable Thickness Planer

Delta 22-555 is a high-value plane with great accuracy, strongly built, and produces very little snipe. It is designed for small planing projects and works best on softwoods. The planer has plastic construction but the casing is made of a Lexan material that is very tough and resistant to rust. This makes the plane last for a very long time to come.

It is highly portable, very stable and takes little space in the workshop. The planer was designed with the health of the user in mind where it comes with a dust port for collecting dust and chips easily from your work area. You won’t risk inhaling them posing health risks.

Key Features:

Key controlled 120V, 15 Amp motor

Max depth of cut: 3/32″

Max in-feed width of 13″

Reversible dust port

2 Dual edge disposable knives

Adjustable Infeed & Outfeed Tables

4. PORTER-CABLE PC305TP 12″ Thickness Planer

This is a planer for high value for money that is highly efficient and useful in woodworking. It has fast input-feed speed courtesy of its 15 Amp motor with 8,000 RPM. The planer comes with carbon steel knives that are highly durable and don’t require regular sharpening. They can be changed to the other side once they get dull.

The planer is not designed for professionals in planing but for beginners or hobbyists. It is not noisy during operation meaning you won’t disturb your neighbors. The only issue with this planer is that it produces snipes in both ends of the wood being planed. However, this can be corrected by supporting the board when feeding it into the plane and when it’s coming out on the others side.

Key Features:

15 Amp motor with 8,000 RPM

Reversible high carbon steel knives

Powerful steel cutter head fitted on ball bearings

Four ground columns

12.5-inch capacity

3. WEN 6550 Benchtop Thickness Planer, 12-1/2″

If your planing involves a lot of vibration and you are looking for a sturdy planer to ensure smooth operation, this is the choice to go with. It comes with a smooth granite table that never warps which gives great support to wood being planed. That combined with the heavy duty cast iron base makes the planer highly rigid ensuring a smooth wobble-free operation.

The granite table ensures dust doesn’t stick to the surface which clears any obstruction during planing. You won’t have to worry about a clean and safe working environment since this planer has a dust collection mechanism. The blades can be easily changed once they get dull.

2. WEN 6552 3-Blade 15 Amp Benchtop Thickness Planer, 13″

This is a beautifully crafted planer that makes planing seem easy. It’s one of the best benchtop planers you will find in the market now. It can handle the toughest projects with ease courtesy of its powerful motor. It has two in-built ergonomic carrying handles that are meant to give you a comfortable grip.

Portability won’t be an issue with this planer since it’s in feed and outfeed tables can be folded making it compact and easy to move. You can also set your desired cutting depth with the built-in dial that this planer comes with. This ensures precise cutting depth adjustment. The planer ensures the wooden chips, dust, and debris doesn’t obstruct you by blowing them off during operation. With the efficiency and convenience this planer comes with, you have to part with extra money to own it.

Key Features:

3 blade cutterhead

Powerful 15 amp motor that produces 25500 cuts per minute

Fan assisted dust ejection system

13-inch width capacity

Height adjustable infeed and outfeed tables

1. DEWALT DW734 Benchtop Planer

If you are looking for a high-quality machine for your workshop, this is the planer to go for. It is designed for accurate cutting and can be easily controlled with two hands. The planer is powerful and its smoothening capability can’t be second to any other planer in the market now.

It produces refined tastes and you won’t have to worry about sharpening its knives. You simply reverse them and when the other side becomes dull, you dispose of them. Replacing the knives is super easy. The long in feed and outfeed tables of this planer makes it for you to handle long materials. Though high in performance, you will have to bear with the noise that the planer produces.

Choosing the Best Benchtop Planers

Type of blade: If you want to get a benchtop planer that can handle any type of project, choose one with a double-edged carbide blade or high-speed steel.

Depth gauge: Choose a planer with a depth gauge to enable you to make planning cuts at specific depths. This minimizes your chances of snipe and scallop issues.

Depth stop: This is an important factor to consider since it gives you the freedom to set the desired thickness for a board and use it on other boards.

Motor: Always check the quality of the motor in the benchtop before paying for it. This is what determines how well your planer will work. Go for a motor speed of at least 8000 revolutions per minute (rpm) for optimal performance.

Capacity: The size of the board that the planer you’ve chosen should be at least 11 inches in width and a thickness of 6 inches. If you chose one with less than this, the planer wouldn’t give you any significant service.

Sturdiness: Planing involves a lot of vibration. You should therefore choose a benchtop planer that can withstand as such. Ensure the planer has a strong and heavy cast base to help keep it stable and avoid swaying during usage.

Dust Collection: Your area of operation should be maintained clean at all times. You should therefore ensure the planer of your choice is a controlled manner of expelling the dust produced during planing. It should offer you a way to attach a dust collector for a clean workshop.

Performance: Ensure the benchtop planer you choose performs excellently by producing smooth surfaces. This will eliminate the need for sanding.

Price: When checking on the price of a benchtop planer, consider the features it has and compares that with your budget. Cheap is not always the best while expensive doesn’t guarantee quality. You should therefore balance between your budget and what a planer is capable of doing based on its features.

Conclusion

When planning to buy a benchtop planer for your home or workshop use, take into consideration the above guide. It will help you settle on a great choice for smooth and efficient planing. Any of the above 10 best benchtop planers will fit any job requirement and give you value for your hard-earned cash.